Valve operated by air.



PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. BOWBRS.

VALVE OPERATED BY AIR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1907.

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JNVENTOR ATT RNEY.

ms NORRIS Pn sns 647-, WASHINGTON, n. c.

PATENTED JAN. 21; 1908.-

J. BowEEs. VALVE OPERATED BY AIR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JAMES BOWERS, OF CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY.

VALVE OPERATED BY AIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .ian. 21, 1908.

Application filed April 12, 1907- Serial No. 367.786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES BOWERS, a citizenof the United States,residing at Caldwell, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves Operated by Air; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved valve for dispensing systems, and is designed to provide a valve that will alternately feed the material to be dispensed into the dispensing pipe, or shut off the material to be dispensed and inject a cleaning medium in the dispensing pipe, the valve being operated from a point distant from it so as to facilitate the opening and closing without necessitating a going up and down stairs, that is usually the case'with the old systems.

The device is a valve, of the kind described, that is actuated by the air pressure present in systems of this kind, the air being introduced into an operating cylinder to close the valve on the fluid being dispensed so that a cleaning compound or medium can be fed into the dispensing pipe to cleanse the same, the operating cylinder, when shut off from the fluid operating it, being adapted to be vented into the atmosphere, and the liquid being dispensed, being under pressure, then forces the valve open and allows itself to pass into the dispensing pipe.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure '1 is a diagrammatic view of a dispensing systemwith my improved valve in place. Fig. 2 is a view of the valve, and Fig. 3 is a section of the valve.

First to describe the system by referring to Fig. 1, the receptacles in which is the fluid to be dispensed, are indicated by the numeral 10, and 11 are the dispensing pipes which are led up into the floor above, in most cases, and terminate in the faucets 12. The fluid is forced through the dispensing pipe by means of air pressure led down through the pipes 13 from a main air pipe 14, and the connections 15 are installed to detachably secure the air pipe to the package. The

fluid from each receptacle 10 passes up into a valve 16, when it is being dispensed, but

when the valve 16 is operated, as will be hereinafter described, it acts to shut off the fluid to be dispensed and allows water or any fluid compound to pass through the pipe 17 into the valve, and up through the dispensing ipes 11, the water being controlled by a va ve 17 in the water ipe 17, the water pipe 17 getting its. supply om a main water pipe present in the dispensing systems as now in use. The valve 16, in each case, is operated by the mechanism in a cylinder 18 which is to be described hereinafter, the pres sure to close the valve being fed into the cylinders 18 by means of pipes 20 which in turn receive their supply from the pipes 19, the supply being controlled by the valves 21, each valve having a tubular portion 22, these tubular portions being adapted to interlock or screw together, .each portion having an exterior threaded portion on one end, and

an interior threaded portion on the other.

end so that they screw together. The valves 21 receive their supply through the pipe 23 which in turn receives it from the mainair pipe 14. Each valve 21 has a vent 24 which allows the escape of air from the pipe 19, but shuts off the pipe 23 and vents the pipe 19 into the atmos here, the purpose of this being described ereinafter. The valve and its operating cylinder are shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3.

The valve is secured to the bushing 32, shown in Fig. 1, by means of the coupling 25 having the pipe connection 31. The lower part of the valve is formed of a member 26, on which the coupling 25 is rotatably arranged, and the valve casing has, intermediate of its ends, a partition 27 which has a perforation 28. Above the partition is a pipe connection 29 to receive the connection from the water pipe 17, and below the partition is the pipe connection 30 which receives the dispensing pipe 11. In the valve is installed the suitable valve stem 33 which has, on its lower end, a disk 34, the disk having, on its two faces, the washers or gaskets 35 to make a tight joint.

When the valve is down, the lower gasket fits tightly over the portion 36 which forms a valve seat, and when the valve is raised, the other gasket fits up against the under side of the partition 27. When the system is being normally operated. that is when liquid is being dispensed, the water isshut O by the valve 17 and the valves 21 are open to vent the pipes 19, and the pressure of air through the pipes 13, 14 and 15, into the receptacle 10, causes the liquid to be dispensed to exert a pressure up through the bushing 32 into the valve casing 16, and acting against the under side of the valve 34 causes the valve to give a free passage from the receptacle to the dispensing pipe 11, thereby shutting off the opening 28 in the partition 27.

When the pipes are to be cleaned, the liquid in the dispensing pipes can be returned to the receptacle by any of the well known methods now in use for equalizing the pressure at the faucet with that at the receptacle, and the cleansing fluid can be ejected from the dispensing pipe when the cleaning is finished by an air injection or otherwise, as is now commonly done in this class of system.

When it is desired to clean one of the dispensing pipes, the valve 21 is opened, which closes the vent 24 in that valve, and permits compressed air to pass through the pipe 19 and the connection 20 into the cylinder 18. 37 which is mounted on the top end of the valve stem 33. This piston'is made much larger than the valve 34, and therefore it is forced downward, this shutting off the supply of liquid from the receptacle 10, opening the perforation 28 in the partition 27, and thus giving an unobstructed passage from the pipe 17 through its pipe connection 29, down through the partition and out through the pipe connection 30, and through the dispensing pipe 11. Suitable cleaning compound can be run through the pipe 17, in addition to clear water, to thoroughly cleanse the dispensing pipe 11, the water emerging from the faucet 12, and when it'is seen that the pipe is clean, the valve 17 is again shut. The valve 21 is shut and this vents the pipe 19, and the cylinder 18 allows the compressed air therein to escape through the vent 24, and the liquid under pressure in the package 10 again forces the valve 34 upward against the partition 27, and the fluid to be dispensed is again admitted into the dispensing pipe. The cylinder 18 is secured to the valve by means of the bottom plate 40 which screws on the top thereof, and a top plate 38 is furnished with a pipe connection 39, to which can be detachably secured the connection 20.

. The particular arrangement of piping can be altered at will, and I do not wish to be limited tothe particular form of system shown in Fig. 1, my invention consisting of the valve to be operated by the air pres- In the cylinder 18 is a piston sure in one direction, and by the fluid under pressure in the other direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a dispensing system, a valve having an outlet port and two inlet ports, a valve disk to close one inlet port and open the other and vice versa, the outlet port being continually open, a valve stem supporting the valve disk, a cylinder on the valve, a piston in the cylinder and mounted on the valve stem, the piston being of larger area than the valve disk, a connection for conducting compressed fluid into the cylinder, means for regulating the admission of fluid into the cylinder, means for conducting a liquid under pressure to the valve, the valve being operated in one direction by the liquid under pressure, and adapted to be operated in the other direction by the application of compressed fluid to the cylinder.

2. A valve comprising a casing having a perforated partition therein, the casing having an inlet -at the bottom, an inlet above the partition, and an outlet belowthe partition and between it and the inlet at the bottom, a valve stem having a valve thereon to be seated against the inlet at the bottom or against the perforated partition, a cylinder mounted on the valve, a piston in the cylinder of greater area than the valvedisk, and means for conducting compressed fluid to the cylinder to move the piston to force the valve to close the inlet at the bottom of the casing. i l

. 3. A dispensing system comprising a receptacle, a valve casing thereon having an inlet connected with the receptacle, the casing having an outlet near the bottom thereof and the casing, a valve stem in the casing having a valve to alternately seat itself on the partition and on the inlet from the receptacle, a valved pipe for conducting a cleansing fluid to the inlet in the upper part of the casing,

means for conducting compressed fluid to the receptacle, a cylinder on the valve casing, a piston in the cylinder of larger area than the valve, a pipe connecting the cylinder at its top with a supply of compressed fluid, a

valve in the pipe for admitting air to the cylinder, the valve when shutting off the supply of compressed fluid venting the cylinder into the atmosphere.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set .my hand this 10th day of April 1907.

' JAMES BOWERS.

Witnesses:

WM. H. CAMFIELI), E. A. PELL. 

